The Cambridge History of Medieval Political Thought c.350}}}c.1450 [Paperback]

This volume examines the history of a complex and varied body of ideas over a period of more than a thousand years.Reflecting the diversity of focus that characterized the medieval sense of the political, this volume offers a comprehensive and authoritative account of the history of complex and varied ideas over a significant time span.Reflecting the diversity of focus that characterized the medieval sense of the political, this volume offers a comprehensive and authoritative account of the history of complex and varied ideas over a significant time span.This volume offers a comprehensive and authoritative account of the history of a complex and varied body of ideas over a period of more than one thousand years. A work of both synthesis and assessment, The Cambridge History of Medieval Political Thought presents the results of several decades of critical scholarship in the field, and reflects in its breadth of enquiry precisely that diversity of focus that characterized the medieval sense of the political, preoccupied with universality at some levels, and with almost minute particularity at others. Among the vital questions explored by the distinguished team of contributors are the nature of authority, of justice, of property; the problem of legitimacy, of allegiance, of resistance to the powers that be; the character and functions of law, and the role of custom in maintaining a social structure.List of abbreviations; Introduction J. H. Burns; Part I. Foundations: 1. Christian doctrine Henry Chadwick; 2. Greek and Roman political theory John Procop?; 3. Roman law P. G. Stein; Part II. Byzantium: 4. Byzantine political thought D. M. Nicol; Part III. Beginnings: c.350c.750: 5. Introduction: the West R. A. Markus; 6. The Latin fathers R. A. Markus; 7. The barbarian kingdoms P. D. King; Part IV. Formation: c.750c.1150: 8. Introduction: the formation of political thought in the west D. E. Luscombe; 9. Government, law and society R. Van Caenegem; 10. Kingship and lSE